Thursday, November 13, 2008
There's more!
For all you who take the time to read about my antics I have posted two (well three including this one!) blogs today so be sure to scroll down and read 'Not been washed away' before 'South to Paksan'! Happy reading!
South to Paksan!
So, we head South and do about 40km on nice roads until its time....we turn left and immediately it turns to dirt tracks and the classic mud bath awaits us! after about another 40km we get to our first river crossing. Now, nobody told me we were crossing rivers. In fact nobody told anyone! Now this river was definitely that, it wasnt a stream! It was about 20m wide and got to about 2' deep! Needless to say I was a little nervous about this so not wanting to risk the hefty amount of electrical goods I was carrying, stripped down to my boxers and carried my tank bag over with all my goodies in! then it was time to give it a go! Well we started nice and slowly and then as it got a little deeper, gave it a bit more gas, and then a bit more and then basically gunned it and blasted out the other side alot drier than I thought I was going to be!
So back in the saddle and back on the road we come across another crossing. And then another crossing and yes another crossing too! Anyway, my confidence was bubbling away nicely by now so I was happily blasting my way through these obstacles with the kind of confidence that ONE river crossing should not have given me!!! Anyway, we both made it through all 4 as dry as can be expected and stopped for lunch in an actually very nice little town about 3-4 hours away from our destination (according to a local!). Now, it was 2pm and its best to be where you want to be by 5 as it starts getting a little dark from then on. So we were kind of hoping for the 3 side of his estimation! So after some tasty beef noddle soup (this was the first of 4 straight meals of beef noddle soup!) we cracked on with the vigor of the duracell bunny (there were obviously a lot more similes available to me but with the possibility of the grandparents reading this I thought I should keep it clean!) Unfortunately it was only about half an hour in when we reached our first of river crossings and this on was far and away the toughest; it was wider, deeper and had a softer river bed than any of the others! this meant we were stripping the bikes of everything we could and wading through the river to deposit it on the other side and then riding the bikes through with one in the saddle and the other walking behind to help keep things upright! Well nick went first with me supporting him and made it through whilst giving me a decent river bed shower. unfortunately with Nick going through and with us walking the shallowest line we had softened up the bed even more so when I went through the bike sank good and deep until probably two thirds of it was underwater. Luckily the sir intake and exhaust are both high level and so with a good few revs and some sturdy support, I made it through without dropping the bike and we had a good old american style whooping session on the other side!
About 30m after that crossing was our last crossing and with the help of an elderly Laos lady from a nearby village pointing out the best route for us, we both madeit through that one unscathed too! So we were loaded up, back in the plate and back on the move again and again (not for the first time this trip) we were chasing daylight! All we didnt need now was a puncture and we could possibly still make it. And if the worst was to happen and we did get a puncture, what we didnt want was for it to be a rear tyre because they take twice as long to fix. So you'd never guess what...yep, Nick got a rear puncture! So, soaking wet and with the bikes again covered in mud we set to strippingthe rear tyre to fix the puncture. So we got that fixed in record time and then because nicks rear swing arm is bent it then took about half an hour to get the rear wheel back on. By this time we knew we werent making it in daylight but we thought we might me able to make it to a decent road which was rideable in the dark, so we cracked on again. Well we cracked on for 4 more Km until nicks rear tyre blew again! Now it was all over. 45 minutes of daylight wasnt even enough time to fix the puncture let alone get to any sort of road worthy of the name! Fortunately, a farmer and his wife were trundling along this track in their Laos tractor and trailer. Now there is a good few differences between a Laos tractor and a uk tractor but I think the key one to mention now is the fact that Laos tractors have a top speed of about 8mph! Anyway, we loaded Nick and his bike into the trailer and the fine farmer fellow carried the load on to the nearest town. The luck continued as I decided that as we were in the middle of nowhere and the likelihood of finding a guest house and restaurant was pretty slim, I was on the look out for a shop of somesorts to buy some food. Anyway I passed 2 possibilities and settled on one. It was in this shop that the shopkeepers son came out to serve me and could actually speak a little english and informed me that about 1Km further on was indeed a guest house with restaurant! Well thats what they called it. But for us it really was any port in a storm so we got shipped up there and fed more beef noodle soup and slept like babies on our hardboard bed!
Following that little episode we have learned our lesson and promise to stick to highways all the way to the South of Laos and we are half way there already! Its amazing the distance you can travel on a good surface! So right now I am sat in an internet cafe in Laos' biggest town, Svannakhet. We've had a rest day today and some tinkering on the bikes so its time to move again tomorrow. No doubt they'll be stories to come, its when I get around to posting them thats not so certain!!!
So back in the saddle and back on the road we come across another crossing. And then another crossing and yes another crossing too! Anyway, my confidence was bubbling away nicely by now so I was happily blasting my way through these obstacles with the kind of confidence that ONE river crossing should not have given me!!! Anyway, we both made it through all 4 as dry as can be expected and stopped for lunch in an actually very nice little town about 3-4 hours away from our destination (according to a local!). Now, it was 2pm and its best to be where you want to be by 5 as it starts getting a little dark from then on. So we were kind of hoping for the 3 side of his estimation! So after some tasty beef noddle soup (this was the first of 4 straight meals of beef noddle soup!) we cracked on with the vigor of the duracell bunny (there were obviously a lot more similes available to me but with the possibility of the grandparents reading this I thought I should keep it clean!) Unfortunately it was only about half an hour in when we reached our first of river crossings and this on was far and away the toughest; it was wider, deeper and had a softer river bed than any of the others! this meant we were stripping the bikes of everything we could and wading through the river to deposit it on the other side and then riding the bikes through with one in the saddle and the other walking behind to help keep things upright! Well nick went first with me supporting him and made it through whilst giving me a decent river bed shower. unfortunately with Nick going through and with us walking the shallowest line we had softened up the bed even more so when I went through the bike sank good and deep until probably two thirds of it was underwater. Luckily the sir intake and exhaust are both high level and so with a good few revs and some sturdy support, I made it through without dropping the bike and we had a good old american style whooping session on the other side!
About 30m after that crossing was our last crossing and with the help of an elderly Laos lady from a nearby village pointing out the best route for us, we both madeit through that one unscathed too! So we were loaded up, back in the plate and back on the move again and again (not for the first time this trip) we were chasing daylight! All we didnt need now was a puncture and we could possibly still make it. And if the worst was to happen and we did get a puncture, what we didnt want was for it to be a rear tyre because they take twice as long to fix. So you'd never guess what...yep, Nick got a rear puncture! So, soaking wet and with the bikes again covered in mud we set to strippingthe rear tyre to fix the puncture. So we got that fixed in record time and then because nicks rear swing arm is bent it then took about half an hour to get the rear wheel back on. By this time we knew we werent making it in daylight but we thought we might me able to make it to a decent road which was rideable in the dark, so we cracked on again. Well we cracked on for 4 more Km until nicks rear tyre blew again! Now it was all over. 45 minutes of daylight wasnt even enough time to fix the puncture let alone get to any sort of road worthy of the name! Fortunately, a farmer and his wife were trundling along this track in their Laos tractor and trailer. Now there is a good few differences between a Laos tractor and a uk tractor but I think the key one to mention now is the fact that Laos tractors have a top speed of about 8mph! Anyway, we loaded Nick and his bike into the trailer and the fine farmer fellow carried the load on to the nearest town. The luck continued as I decided that as we were in the middle of nowhere and the likelihood of finding a guest house and restaurant was pretty slim, I was on the look out for a shop of somesorts to buy some food. Anyway I passed 2 possibilities and settled on one. It was in this shop that the shopkeepers son came out to serve me and could actually speak a little english and informed me that about 1Km further on was indeed a guest house with restaurant! Well thats what they called it. But for us it really was any port in a storm so we got shipped up there and fed more beef noodle soup and slept like babies on our hardboard bed!
Following that little episode we have learned our lesson and promise to stick to highways all the way to the South of Laos and we are half way there already! Its amazing the distance you can travel on a good surface! So right now I am sat in an internet cafe in Laos' biggest town, Svannakhet. We've had a rest day today and some tinkering on the bikes so its time to move again tomorrow. No doubt they'll be stories to come, its when I get around to posting them thats not so certain!!!
Not been washed away!
I cant believe the last update was the police station. Well obviously a lot has happened since then as I am back on the road. This means my bike is fixed (well kind of!) and my injuries are healed (well, again, kind of!).
I got back to LP and got some welding and reshaping done on the machine (as yet unnamed so any suggestions are welcome!) and it was up and running again alot sooner than I was. Anyway, spent about 5 days in LP recovering as walking was a bit of a problem in the following couple of days and so kneeling by the bike and fabricating repairs was well out of the question! luckily I had mechanic Graveley to hand so the repairs got underway as soon as he felt he wasnt doing ALL the work. I have to admit LP is a nice place to get stuck in for a few days but next time I'll do it with my lady and it hopefully wont be forced!
So a few days later and we're heading North. Now, there are better ideas than to head North in Laos when the rainy season has been the worst and longest people can remember and you've got one bike not exactly at full strength and a jockey who cant walk up stairs! However, we didnt have any other ideas so went anyway! The first day was easy as the roads were paved and we made it past 'the scene' and onto Oudomsay. As we arrived the heavens opened and if it wasnt for the kind guest house owners clearing room in the garage, the bikes would have got an unscheduled wash! The next day (undeterred by the rain) we headed north again. Thios time we werent so lucky as when we got to our turning off the 'highway', it started to lash it down again. luckily there was a lovely little cafe right on the river banks so we stopped for a coffee and biscuits. As sarcasm is difficult to get across in text I shall point out that the term 'lovely' is ladled with sarcasm - this place had squirrels in a cage tied to the ceiling ready to be slaughtered for the right customer!
Following our refreshment we headed on but unfortunately the road was no longer so well paved. Dont get me wrong, there were bits of tarmac, but then there were also bits of 18" deep mud and bits of road that had had the mountain collapse on it so we had to wait while the diggers cleared what they could. Oh, and there was also one bit that actually didnt exist any more! A stretch about 30m long had been completely washed into the river which ran alongside the road. This meant we had to take a mud detour!
Needless to say, our progress wasnt as fast as we'd planned especially as when tackling one particularly deep section of mud I managed to drop the bike (yep, the tally is still rising!) and crack the 'bodge it and scarper' excuse for a repair we had fabricated in LP. Anyway, my bike was now leaking coolant and you wouldnt believe home remote we were. The only habitation we saw were the wooden and reed huts that made up the villages and these were about 10km apart. And trust me, you wouldnt want to stop the night in any of these! So, with coolant at a good pace and tackling mud upto the foot pegs, whats the worst thing that could happen......yep, the fuel light comes on! luckily I have a spare bottle of coolant so mixing it up with our drinking water we get a few more Kms until Ive finished the spare coolant and filled the radiator with the last of the water. so now I resort to turning the bike off when going down hills so it doesnt pump coolant around and so leaks lower (it also helps conserve the fuel!). Anyway, as you have probably guessed we made it! We stopped in a little place called Boun-Tai and manufactured a better bodge repair and found a particularly lavish guest house which ahd the cleanest river water for washing in and had electricity right up until 8pm!
And then it rained, and rained and was still raining in the morning. So that was the final straw. We did have a better idea than going north in the rain...GO SOUTH! So we turned back and took on the fun of the mud tracks again! This time I tackled it with a full fuel tank and just as we thought a working bike as well...it starts over heating and bubbling all my new coolant out of the overflow. Well the decisions were whether to go on or go back. Go back wasnt exactly to a town with many options for fixing the bike and going on wasnt the best thing to do either but it got our vote for the simple fact we didnt want to spend another night in Boun-Tai! Anyway, after stopping another few times and refilling the radiator again an again getting to the end of my spare coolant reserves we end up draining and refilling the system at the side of the track to see if there's an air lock. Turns out...no! Then Mechanic Graveley has a brainstorm of hard wiring the fan on. Anyway, as I am getting sore fingers and you are no doubt getting sore eyes, the story gets cut short again...we made it back! We still dont know exactly what is up with the bike but it seems to be operating ok with the fan on solidly. Lets just hope that doesnt pack up or I'll be right up the swanny!!!
So back in Oudomsay then onto Phonesavan, and back on good roads; you would have thought we'd have learnt our lesson but no, we decide on the 'fun' route to Paksan. So even though what is marked on my map as a main road had sections missing and mud upto the pegs, we decide to take 200km of tertiary roads south to Paksan. Well, I now know that primary roads run along side rivers and tertiary roads run through them!
I got back to LP and got some welding and reshaping done on the machine (as yet unnamed so any suggestions are welcome!) and it was up and running again alot sooner than I was. Anyway, spent about 5 days in LP recovering as walking was a bit of a problem in the following couple of days and so kneeling by the bike and fabricating repairs was well out of the question! luckily I had mechanic Graveley to hand so the repairs got underway as soon as he felt he wasnt doing ALL the work. I have to admit LP is a nice place to get stuck in for a few days but next time I'll do it with my lady and it hopefully wont be forced!
So a few days later and we're heading North. Now, there are better ideas than to head North in Laos when the rainy season has been the worst and longest people can remember and you've got one bike not exactly at full strength and a jockey who cant walk up stairs! However, we didnt have any other ideas so went anyway! The first day was easy as the roads were paved and we made it past 'the scene' and onto Oudomsay. As we arrived the heavens opened and if it wasnt for the kind guest house owners clearing room in the garage, the bikes would have got an unscheduled wash! The next day (undeterred by the rain) we headed north again. Thios time we werent so lucky as when we got to our turning off the 'highway', it started to lash it down again. luckily there was a lovely little cafe right on the river banks so we stopped for a coffee and biscuits. As sarcasm is difficult to get across in text I shall point out that the term 'lovely' is ladled with sarcasm - this place had squirrels in a cage tied to the ceiling ready to be slaughtered for the right customer!
Following our refreshment we headed on but unfortunately the road was no longer so well paved. Dont get me wrong, there were bits of tarmac, but then there were also bits of 18" deep mud and bits of road that had had the mountain collapse on it so we had to wait while the diggers cleared what they could. Oh, and there was also one bit that actually didnt exist any more! A stretch about 30m long had been completely washed into the river which ran alongside the road. This meant we had to take a mud detour!
Needless to say, our progress wasnt as fast as we'd planned especially as when tackling one particularly deep section of mud I managed to drop the bike (yep, the tally is still rising!) and crack the 'bodge it and scarper' excuse for a repair we had fabricated in LP. Anyway, my bike was now leaking coolant and you wouldnt believe home remote we were. The only habitation we saw were the wooden and reed huts that made up the villages and these were about 10km apart. And trust me, you wouldnt want to stop the night in any of these! So, with coolant at a good pace and tackling mud upto the foot pegs, whats the worst thing that could happen......yep, the fuel light comes on! luckily I have a spare bottle of coolant so mixing it up with our drinking water we get a few more Kms until Ive finished the spare coolant and filled the radiator with the last of the water. so now I resort to turning the bike off when going down hills so it doesnt pump coolant around and so leaks lower (it also helps conserve the fuel!). Anyway, as you have probably guessed we made it! We stopped in a little place called Boun-Tai and manufactured a better bodge repair and found a particularly lavish guest house which ahd the cleanest river water for washing in and had electricity right up until 8pm!
And then it rained, and rained and was still raining in the morning. So that was the final straw. We did have a better idea than going north in the rain...GO SOUTH! So we turned back and took on the fun of the mud tracks again! This time I tackled it with a full fuel tank and just as we thought a working bike as well...it starts over heating and bubbling all my new coolant out of the overflow. Well the decisions were whether to go on or go back. Go back wasnt exactly to a town with many options for fixing the bike and going on wasnt the best thing to do either but it got our vote for the simple fact we didnt want to spend another night in Boun-Tai! Anyway, after stopping another few times and refilling the radiator again an again getting to the end of my spare coolant reserves we end up draining and refilling the system at the side of the track to see if there's an air lock. Turns out...no! Then Mechanic Graveley has a brainstorm of hard wiring the fan on. Anyway, as I am getting sore fingers and you are no doubt getting sore eyes, the story gets cut short again...we made it back! We still dont know exactly what is up with the bike but it seems to be operating ok with the fan on solidly. Lets just hope that doesnt pack up or I'll be right up the swanny!!!
So back in Oudomsay then onto Phonesavan, and back on good roads; you would have thought we'd have learnt our lesson but no, we decide on the 'fun' route to Paksan. So even though what is marked on my map as a main road had sections missing and mud upto the pegs, we decide to take 200km of tertiary roads south to Paksan. Well, I now know that primary roads run along side rivers and tertiary roads run through them!
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